Dr Maria Tomlinson

Maria's current research focuses on the impact of the menstrual movement on young people's knowledge and perceptions of menstruation as well as related health and social issues. The stigma that surrounds menstruation negatively impacts young people’s ability to communicate their menstrual experiences as well as access products, education, and medical treatment. Maria's research combines the analysis of British newspapers, social media (Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok), focus groups with seventy-seven 16–19-year-old students across nine schools, colleges and universities in Yorkshire, and interviews with 32 menstrual advocates. Topics include menstrual stigma, period poverty, misinformation, the experiences of transgender people who menstruate, environmental activism, endometriosis and PMDD (premenstrual dysphoric disorder).

Maria's first monograph, 'From Menstruation to the Menopause: The Female Fertility Cycle in Contemporary Women’s Writing in French’ (2021, Liverpool University Press), compares the experiences of minority groups from Algeria, Mauritius, and France. Her second monograph, ‘The Menstrual Movement in the Media: Reducing Stigma and Tackling Social Inequalities’ (2024), is forthcoming with Palgrave and will be published open access. In collaboration with Acushla Young from the Girl's Network, some of the findings from this book have been turned into guidelines for activists and NGOs. The document offers advice on how to effectively communicate about menstruation with young people on social media.

Maria has also spoken about her research on BBC Radio London, podcasts, and in The Conversation. She is currently on the advisory board of FEMaLe (Finding Endometriosis using Machine Learning) and on the editorial board of 'Modern and Contemporary France'. She is also chairing a committee for the British Standards Institute. The committee is drafting guidelines for employers on how they can best support employees who menstruate and employees experiencing menopause.